Medicare Blog

what presidentmade the biggest cuts to.ss and medicare

by Prof. Etha Goyette III Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Did Trump’s budget cut Social Security?

The Trump administration has been attempting to spin its proposed $64 billion in cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance as somehow not cutting Social Security . Some in the media have parroted the White House line. “Trump’s Budget Slashes Spending, Leaves Social Security & Medicare Untouched,” declared a headline from Fox Business News .

How many presidents have contributed to Social Security?

Since the Social Security Act was signed into law on Aug. 14, 1935, 14 presidents have overseen the program. Here's a list of each of their biggest contributions to Social Security. Image source: Getty Images.

Does Joe Biden want to cut Social Security benefits?

The fact is there is some truth to the idea that Joe Biden has advocated cutting Social Security benefits in the past. Keep in mind that when I say " cutting Social Security benefits ," I'm not talking about Biden taking scissors and lopping off a percentage of monthly benefits to the program's tens of millions of beneficiaries.

Are Social Security and Medicare looming?

We have Social Security and Medicare looming. The number of people on Social Security and Medicare is now 40 million people. It’s going to be 80 million in 15 years. Would you consider looking at those programs, age of eligibility…”

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How many presidents have contributed to Social Security?

Since the Social Security Act was signed into law on Aug. 14, 1935, 14 presidents have overseen the program. Here's a list of each of their biggest contributions to Social Security. Image source: Getty Images.

When was Social Security last overhauled?

The last major overhaul of Social Security occurred under Reagan's watch with the passage of the Amendments of 1983 . The two biggest changes included the introduction of the taxation of benefits for those recipients earning over select income thresholds and, secondly, the gradual increase of the full retirement age from 65 to 67 between 1983 and 2022. These changes were designed to bring in additional revenue (up to half of a person's or couple's benefits were subject to federal income tax), as well as limit lifetime benefit payouts to future generations.

What was Truman's first annual cost of living adjustment?

Truman will likely be best remembered for introducing the first annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. To be clear, this isn't the same COLA that we're used to today, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Rather, any inflationary increase in payouts for the program needed to be enacted through Congress. In September 1950, beneficiaries received a 77% increase to their payout, which was followed by another 12.5% increase in September 1952. Or, put in another context, Social Security benefits nearly doubled (+99.1%) under Truman's presidency.

How much did Social Security increase in 1950?

In September 1950, beneficiaries received a 77% increase to their payout, which was followed by another 12.5% increase in September 1952. Or, put in another context, Social Security benefits nearly doubled (+99.1%) under Truman's presidency.

What is the SSI raise for 2019?

In 2019, beneficiaries will receive a 2.8% "raise" based on the law Nixon passed in 1972. Additionally, it's worth mentioning that Nixon was responsible for the creation of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. Image source: Getty Images.

What was the money collected before 1940?

The money collected prior to 1940 was used to help cover benefits for eligible workers aged 65 and older beginning Jan. 1, 1940. It's worth pointing out that Roosevelt also oversaw the expansion of Social Security benefits to dependents and survivors of deceased workers.

How much did Ford think the deficit was too great?

Ford believed the burden on taxpayers ($285 million a year for 25 years) to cover the $7 billion deficit was simply too great. What's notable is that Congress overrode the president's veto, making this bill a law, and marking the first time lawmakers in Washington were able to override a Ford veto.

Our Rating: Partly False

Based on our research, the claim that Trump said he will “terminate” Social Security if he is reelected is PARTLY FALSE. Trump recently signed an order offering temporary relief from the payroll tax that funds Social Security, and he has repeatedly said he’d terminate the tax entirely if he’s reelected.

The Biden Campaigns Questionable Social Security Claims

The Biden camp justifies its claims about President Trumps proposed cuts to Social Security by pointing to the Trump administrations recent efforts to implement a payroll tax holiday as part of the ongoing efforts to blunt the economic impact of Covid-19. Payroll taxes help fund Social Security, but they are not synonymous with the program.

Trump Opens Door To Cuts To Medicare And Other Entitlement Programs

The president signaled a willingness to scale back Medicare, a shift from his 2016 platform of protecting entitlement programs.

Taking Scissors To Safety Net

That sinking feeling youll get if Donald Trump is elected to a second term will be caused by plummeting through the hole in your safety net. The one he plans on cutting.

How Trump Is Proposing Changing Medicare Medicaid And Social Security

When it comes to Medicare, the White House has been very clear: Hes not cutting Medicare in this budget, Vought said. What we are doing is putting forward reforms that lower drug prices. Because Medicare pays a very large of drug prices in this country, has the impact of finding savings. We are also finding waste, fraud, and abuse.

Trump The Disrupter Takes Dead Aim At Social Security

Throughout the 3 ½ years of his presidency, Donald Trump has disrupted nearly every major institution of government, save one.

Trump Broke This Promise From The Beginning

I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me.

Fact check: 'Record' job gains still leave the U.S. labor market in worse shape than Great Recession

On the last night of his party’s convention, President Trump bragged about “record” job gains in recent months, but the 9.1 million jobs he touts come with some qualifiers.

Trump usually includes new material in major speeches. Not tonight

President Trump spoke for roughly 70 minutes on Thursday, one of the longest convention speeches in modern history.

Trump speech missing several of his favorite talking points

While President Trump launched attack after attack on Joe Biden, he left out a number of his favorite topics of criticism in his acceptance speech.

Fact check: Trump claims Biden wants to 'close all charter schools.' That's false

"Biden also vowed to oppose school choice and close all charter schools, ripping away the ladder of opportunity for Black and Hispanic children," Trump claimed on Tuesday night.

Fact check: Trump repeats out-of-context Biden comment to mislead on police stance

President Trump, arguing that Americans wouldn't be safe under Joe Biden, repeated a claim Mike Pence made Wednesday, quoting the former vice president as saying, "Yes, absolutely," as a response to whether he'd broadly support cutting funding for law enforcement.

Fact check: Trump boasts of delivering PPE early in pandemic, doesn't mention ongoing shortages

"We shipped hundreds of millions of masks, gloves and gowns to our frontline health care workers.

Trump mentions Kenosha, not Jacob Blake

Midway through his speech Thursday, Donald Trump mentioned Kenosha, Wisconsin — but did not make mention of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by the city's police.

Who was the president of the United States when he called for cuts to Social Security?

President George W. Bush turned that surplus into a mammoth tax cut for the wealthy, and within just a few years, Biden was again calling for cuts to Social Security to deal with the deficit. “The American people know we have to fix Social Security,” Biden said in 2007.

Why did Biden call for cuts to Social Security?

As early as 1984 and as recently as 2018, former Vice President Joe Biden called for cuts to Social Security in the name of saving the program and balancing the federal budget. Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted Biden’s record on Social Security in prosecuting the case that Biden isn’t the most electable candidate.

What was Biden's sentiment in the 1980s?

What Biden was expressing was a common sentiment among the centrist faction of the party in the 1980s and ’90s — the belief that old tax-and-spend liberals were out, and that a type of “New Democrat” was needed, one who understood the necessity of fiscal restraint.

What did Joe Biden support?

And after a Republican wave swept Congress in 1994, Biden’s support for cutting Social Security, and his general advocacy for budget austerity, made him a leading combatant in the centrist-wing battle against the party’s retreating liberals in the 1980s and ’90s.

What was Biden's fixation on cutting Social Security?

One of Ronald Reagan’s first major moves as president was to implement a mammoth tax cut, tilted toward the wealthy, and to increase defense spending. Biden, a Delaware senator at the time, supported both moves.

Who was the Republican senator who called for a freeze on federal spending?

In the midst of that debate, Biden teamed up with Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley to call for a freeze on federal spending, and insisted on including Social Security in that freeze, even as the Reagan administration fought to protect the program from cuts.

Does Biden support Social Security?

Biden himself, at least on his campaign website, now supports making Social Security more generous, not less. But that’s at odds with decades of his own advocacy, a record that could become a major political liability among voters concerned Biden will finally get his wish to trim back Social Security checks.

How much did Trump's family charge the taxpayers?

Oh, and his family charged the taxpayers nearly $1 million to house Secret Service and other federal employees at Trump-owned properties. So, Democrats can point out, $600 is too much for you, but a million bucks is just fine for the Trump family.

What is Paul Begala's executive action?

Paul Begala. Naaah. But his executive action suspending collection of payroll taxes hands the Democrats the kind of issue that can sink a candidacy. It is nothing less than a declaration of war on Social Security and Medicare. The payroll tax funds those two vital and beloved programs. When you suspend collection of the revenue ...

Who said testing might be an intriguing idea to save the program money?

Additionally, when speaking at a Brookings event in May 2018, the former vice president made an off-the-cuff remark that implied means testing might be an intriguing idea to save the program money: Paul Ryan [former Republican speaker of the house] was correct when he did the tax code.

Do millennials have to wait to receive Social Security?

It would, however, require future generations of workers, such as millennials and Generation Z, to make a tough decision. They would either need to wait longer to receive their full monthly payout from Social Security or accept a steeper reduction if claiming early.

Is Biden's proposal for Social Security a fiction?

Fiction: Biden's current Social Security proposal calls for cuts to Social Security. While there's some truth to the idea that Biden has advocated for Social Security cuts in the past, there's also quite a helping of fiction. Although the former vice president might still be open to the idea of a bipartisan compromise to strengthen Social Security ...

When did the American Rescue Plan expire?

Most of its provisions expired in the second half of 2020. The newly elected Congress then enacted the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. It supports people, businesses and state and local governments with substantial yet temporary financial relief.

What was Donald Trump's signature legislative achievement?

Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement was the Tac Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It showered trillions of dollars on highly profitable corporations and the richest American households that had seen the largest economic gains in the wake of the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009. Moreover, many provisions of this tax legislation are now permanent fixtures of the tax code and many temporary ones, such as tax cuts for high-income earners will likely become permanent, if past supply-side tax cuts are any indication.

What are the immediate benefits of a tax increase?

The immediate benefits are less inequality and better health outcomes, both of which ultimately support stronger economic growth. Improving revenues for these programs by, for example, increasing payroll taxes on the top income earners will ultimately result in stronger growth and shrinking federal deficits.

Does the Cares Act help the economy?

In contrast, the CARES Act offered much needed relief amid the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression, while it helped to stem the tide on declining economic growth. And experts predict that ARPA will boost economic growth to its highest rate in decades.

Did the Republican senators push for Medicare and Social Security?

Republican Senators Push Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid Cuts After Supporting Ineffective Tax Cuts. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The economy is recovering from the depths of the pandemic in large part due to the massive relief packages that Congress passed in 2020 and 2021.

How is SSDI funded?

SSDI is funded by workers’ Social Security payroll tax contributions – just like retirement benefits. Qualifying disability beneficiaries must meet certain work history requirements, same as they do for retirement benefits. When SSDI recipients reach retirement age, they transition seamlessly into the Social Security retirement program.

Is the $64 billion cut in SSDI real?

Make no mistake: the $64 billion in SSDI cuts are very real – and would cause real pain for Americans with severe disabilities. These are people deemed by the Social Security Administration to be too disabled to work. The qualification requirements are stringent, and the cases dire.

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